After a hard fought win versus current Champions Furman, Charlotte have been crowned Southern Conference (SRC) Champions for the first time. The 49ers move to 8-0 on the season and will be heading directly into the USA Rugby National Championship round of 16 in Annapolis, Maryland on 11/18/17.

After beating Coastal Carolina with style in an entertaining 57-7 semi-final win, the 49ers moved on to the Conference Final to face rivals Furman in what was to be a high intensity match at Mean Green Field. With tremendous home support, the 49ers defense weathered the attacking style of the visitors and, with a combined effort from forwards and backs, were able to create opportunities for themselves. A brace of tries each from Matt "CPI" Plott and Josh Summers, a try from Tom Stockton, together with an fine kicking display from Blake Jackson, resulted in a well deserved 36-10 win.

SRC Director of Competition, Mike Miller, waxed lyrical about the quality of rugby in the conference, stating "The 49ers win leaves no doubt as to who the new powerhouse in the SRC is, and it gives them back to back SRC 7's and SRC 15's titles."

On the back of their National Runner Up 7's performance in Denver in May, the 49ers go to Annapolis for their second successive "Sweet 16" 15's appearance and look forward to competing against the best teams in the nation.

Play Rugby with the 49ers!

Interested in playing the rugby with the 49ers? If you are a current full time student or planning on attending Charlotte you may
be eligible to play for the 49ers. No experience is required, rugby is a game that incorporates the power of american football, the finesse
of soccer, the speed of hockey into one amazing sport. Click here for more information.

• October27, 201749ers Playoffs BoundPerfect Season 6-0by Declan Tidd

Charlotte Rugby has continued their preseason dominance into the regular season, and look to pursue their first 15s Conference Championship in the nearing weeks.The 49ers have faced some tough opponents, but have come out a perfect 6-0, with a playoff matchup against Coastal Carolina on October 28th.

Charlotte earned their first key victory with a blowout 50-0 victory at (16) Appalachian State, helped by two tries from freshman Tom Stockton. The next week, Charlotte hosted rival (2) Furman University. The two clubs have had some history against each other, with Furman having downed the 49ers in last yearâ€™s Conference Finals. The Niners took care of business this time, defeating the Paladins 29-16, led by breakout performances from Matt Plott and Jackson Masterton. The victory secures home field advantage throughout the Southern Conference Playoffs.

In the last match of the season, Charlotte traveled to Elon and earned a mercy rule victory in the 36th minute.
If UNCC can defeat Coastal Carolina this Saturday, they will host the victor of Furman and ECU for the Conference Cup and a spot in the National Sweet Sixteen.

This past May, the Charlotte 49ers found themselves competing in Denver, CO in the National Sevens Tournament finishing runner up to Wisconsin Whitewater in the final.

This season the club has returned even stronger to start the fall with two preseason matches.

The first test put Charlotte against a local club, the Charlotte Barbarians, where many rookies had an opportunity to get their boots on the pitch and showcase their talent.

The following week both alumni and current players came together to play in the traditional annual Alumni Game. Past and present came together as brothers to swap tackles, share stories and discuss future expectations for the club.

Charlotte begins it's season next week against Western Carolina.

• November17th, 201649ers Advance to the Round of 16Travel to Pittsburgh Play US Coast Guard Academy SaturdayStory Courtesy of Southern Rugby Conference and Rob Parker

UNCC Advance Into USA National Round of 16.

UNCC prove the national selection committee at USA Rugby made the right choice by offering the SRC second place finisher the opportunity to compete in a "Play In Match" for the USA D2 National round of 16.

The 49er's squared off against VMI who were the second place finishers from the Cardinal Conference in a winner takes all match to determine who would advance into the round of 16 at Pittsburg.

With their powerful 45-34 victory the 49er's move on to Pittsburg and leave no doubt that the SRC represents some of the best collegiate rugby being played in America.

In a wild, back-and-forth game, UNC-Charlotte defeated VMI 45-34. VMI led 31-21 just before halftime when center Michael Basnett ran from behind his own goal line and went the distance to pull the 49ers within three points at 31-28. That spectacular try changed the momentum, and Charlotte, behind a stalwart forward effort, clawed their way back. Charlotte's second-half defense, and their pack handling a bigger VMI front eight, were the major factors in the 49er comeback. Flyhalf Brandon Sorkin put his team ahead to stay with an excellent individual effort. UNC-Charlotte plays the Coast Guard Academy next week in Pittsburgh.
Right click the bracket to save and view a full size playoff bracket.

The #11 ranked 49ers face #10 VMI in the first round of the USA Rugby Collegiate playoffs. The current ranking is the highest in team history. "It's an honor, absolutely," stated Head Coach Bo Pasko, "but we aren't finished, we aren't satisfied. We are excited to face a quality opponent in VMI. They are a solid team, no weaknesses, it's going to be a great match." Charlotte's first round game vs. VMI will be held Saturday, November 11th.
The game shall be played at Skillbeck Field, kickoff at 12:15 pm. For directions go to the schedule page and scroll down. Parking will be a challenge. Do not park on the street. You may need to park at the nearby Bi-Lo. Please allow enough time to sort out any potential parking issues.

UNC Charlotte Rugby opened the first third of their season with three victories over Elon, Duke, and Wake Forest, respectively. In week one, the Niners defeated Elon by a score of 81-12, with hat-tricks from Ryan Johns and Josh Summers. The following Saturday, on the scheduled bye week, Charlotte picked up a match against Duke University. The Club put together another solid effort, scoring 54 to Duke's 12, in what were near-100 degree temperatures. In the third week, Charlotte faced off against Southern Conference newcomer Wake Forest for their first road match. After being down early, 5-0, the boys battled to a 22-12 lead at the half. After a gut check and some reorganizing, Charlotte scored seven unanswered tries to finish the game with a 69-12 win.

The 49ers have had success from veteran leadership, with the return of captain Declan Tidd and the rapid development of co-captain Ryan Johns, who leads the team in tries scored. They have also been helped by the emergence of several newcomers, including sophomore Michael Basnett, and two powerful centers in Brandon Sorkin and Rob Parker. The team looks forward to continued high numbers and strong focus at practices.

49ers Rugby defeated Greensboro 133-0 to move to 3-0 in league play. The Niners face an undefeated ASU Mountaineer team Saturday at 10:00 on Mean Green Field. The contest decides who will be in first place and in the driver's seat for hosting a first round SOCON playoff game in three weeks.

The 49ers began preparing for the upcoming matrix season August 4th with an evening practice session. The first two sessions were
for rookie and new player orientation. This week's practices will involve the entire team. Lots of work needs to be put in ahead of the team's first matrix match
September 3rd against the Elon Phoenix at Mean Green Field, game time is 1:00pm.

The team announced a match has been added September 10th vs. Duke. The game will be played on Mean Green Field at 1:00 pm. The full and up
to date schedule is available by clicking here.

The 2015-2016 Charlotte Rugby season was nothing short of a success. Our men had a winning 15's season that was capped
off by an impressive 50-point victory over UNC Chapel Hill. The 49ers were also dominant in 7's tournament play, earning a #1
seed for the Southern Conference final that took place at East Carolina University in the spring. Due to a few changes in philosophy
and work ethic, it seems that this team is primed to make a statement going into next season. Led by a core of young, talented players,
and a few wily veterans, Charlotte 49ers Rugby is playing as a cohesive, potent unit. They are proud of what they achieved this
year and will not be denied success this fall.

With that we want to welcome our incoming players: Caleb Collison (Center) from Northwest High School, David Francisco (Front Row)
from Myers Park High School, Anthony Bratcher (Halfback) from Northwest High School, Jared Olinick (Athlete) from Central Piedmont
Community College, DeNickolis Faggart (Wing) from Rocky River High School, Connor Vail (Front Row) from Northern Guilford High School,
Michael O'Brien (Athlete) from UNC Charlotte, and Michael Basnett (Center) from Catawba College.

Make sure you download and follow the summer program created by our Strength and Conditioning Coach, Taylor Wilson. We will
evaluate fitness during our first week back. Welcome to Charlotte 49ers Rugby!

• March10th, 2016Total Team Effort Leads Charlotte to 52-3 Win Over TarheelsJason Blackwood Named Man of the MatchBy John Steuber

Focused is the word to describe the UNC Charlotte men's rugby club as they come off a big 52-3 win against Chapel Hill.
The team had big expectations for themselves after a victorious team effort at the first SoCon sevens tournament of the Spring season.
Fortunately their expectations were met.

Mean Green rugby rolled through first half, racking up a whopping thirty-five points. Charlotte was no slouch on defense,
keeping Chapel Hill scoreless in the first forty minutes. The second half of the match was largely the same story. Charlotte made
some personnel adjustments in the second half. Still, they scored seventeen points and only allowed three from Chapel Hill.

This was Charlotte's first real fifteens match of the Spring, and the team showed much improvement from the fall. Jason Blackwood
earned Man of The Match honors with his standout performance at flyhalf. Veterans Declan Tidd, Ian Toth, and Ryan Talley all played
exceptionally. First year talents Ryan Johns, Joshua Summers, and Sam Wyrick showed off not only their athletic ability but their
increasing game knowledge as well.

This victory was an all around team effort, and things are really coming together in both fifteens and sevens for UNC Charlotte.
Mean Green Rugby plays next at the Greenville SoCon sevens tournament on March 19th.

Charlotte swept the opening weekend of SOCON's 7s series in Charleston, going 6-0 and in the process earning an automatic bid to
the championship round April 15th. Charlotte easily won the first match of the tournament, defeating Greensboro 27-7. In the second match
the 49ers upended Furman in a close come from behind win. Charlotte's momentum carried them to a 19-0 shutout of Elon and
an astonishing 49-15 defeat of defending champion ECU. In the tournament championship game Charlotte again faced Furman. Matt Aronowitz scored
three tries, including the game winning try, sprinting 70 meters as time expired.

SUPPORT 49ers RUGBY!

You can support UNCC Rugby by making a tax deductible donation to the UNCC Rugby Alumni Association, Inc. The Associaion is
recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS.Green Level Donors recieve an official 49ers Rugby team ball!

Now on the market, official team 49ers Rugby Club shirts and stickers. Shirts are on sale for $10 and stickers are on sale 1 for $3 or 2 for $5.
Please contact our VP, Robert Brendle, at rbrendl1@uncc.edu if you are interested in purchasing some of this
awesome gear this holiday season!